Er’fang 耳房 translates to “ear room” in English. In traditional Chinese architecture, it refers to the small rooms or wings that are attached to the main building, resembling ears on the sides. These side rooms are usually found on either side of the main hall and serve various purposes such as storage, servant quarters, or smaller private chambers.
Layout of a typical traditional Chinese house. The top three rooms are respectively xi er’fang 西耳房 [west side room], zhengfang 正房 [main room], and dong er’fang 東耳房 [east side room]. The middle two are xi xiangfang 西廂房 [west wing] and dong xiangfang 東廂房 [east wing].
